A new book from The Steve Jobs Archive, Letters to a Young Creator :
What it takes to make something great, from people who have done it before
These books feature contributions from notable figures across business, design, technology, and the arts, written in response to questions posed by past and present SJA Fellows. The title is a nod to Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet—one of Steve’s favorites—and to Steve’s own practice of exchanging ideas as a path toward clarity.
Material abundance has long stripped rigid constraints from numbers like 2025 or 2026, we can traverse space and enjoy all seasons at will, making our days largely identical. Yet this is precisely where the danger lies—when everything is within easy reach, life easily falls into the endless repetition of homogenization.
That is why we need the “year.” Not for the number itself, but for its rhythm. It is a rhythm of tidying up unfinished business and then being inspired to set out again. It is an artificially created “caesura,” used to resist the flat, straightforward narrative of meaninglessness.
The ideal state, perhaps, is to use the rhythm of the year to break the limits of the year. To keep life from becoming a closed loop, and instead embody the logarithmic spiral: turning with every day, yet with every cycle, growing further outward into a wider, more expansive existence.
The Rhythm of the Brave
In the first month of the new year, various absurd events continue to unfold across the globe. Yet, in my eyes, only one stands out as truly worthy of remembrance and acclaim: Alex Honnold’s free solo climb of Taipei 101.
This is not just about courage and madness, it is a manifestation of ultimate professionalism and unwavering focus. It is not a challenge that an ordinary person can accomplish, yet each of us can draw strength from it, learning that essential sense of “rhythm” required to truly master any craft.
I highly recommend checking out the technical analysis by Xiaohongshu blogger “Gu Yue Ga Ga”. His breakdown of Alex’s movements offers a deeper appreciation of this monumental achievement in human history.
Experienced One
This is football. In the last attacking opportunity during stoppage time, Benfica’s goalkeeper scored a crucial header, ultimately leading Benfica to a 4:2 victory over Real Madrid and securing their place in the Champions League play-off stage. Mourinho recreated his famous sprint from 16 years ago. Just the “Special One” has now become the “Experienced One.”
It has been two decades since Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph, yet they remain my absolute favorite team. They demonstrated the ultimate level of focus in defense, neutralizing threats through rhythmic collective coordination. While enduring immense pressure, they consistently maintained the initiative to seek out and seize opportunities.
The longer time goes on, the more I understand that in the highest level of competition, victory belongs to the side that makes the fewest mistakes and can capitalize on the opponent’s errors. That is precisely why maintaining focus is so crucial.
video：naodi.net/v/fFP1mD
